Sintering machine



March 24, 1931. G E, STORER 1,797,931

SINTERING MACHINE Filed Nov. 13, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 23 I ma March 24,1931. G. E. STORER 1,797,931

SINTERING MACHINE Filed Nov 13, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 24,I931 UNI s'rssi OATNT OFFICE ERIC STORER, vOIE.AVOlZlIlVJIOUTH, ENGLAND:ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL PROCESSES LIMITED, 01? LONDON, ENGLAND, A LIMITEDLIABILITY COMPANY, OF ENGLAND v SINTERING MACHINE Application filedNovember 13, 1 928, Serial No. 319,049, and in Great Britainlanuary 25;1928.

This invention relates to ore-roasting or sintering machines of therotary roundtable type in which an ore or'other material is fedonto agrate travelling in a circular path, theore or mixture being thenignited and kept burning by acurre'nt of air drawn down through said oreor mixture into a subjacent gas box from which the evolved gases arewithdrawn.

j Hitherto in machines of this type the discharge of the roasted orsintered material has been effected by a fixed scraper plate or knifearranged with its lower edge just above the surface of the grate bars,so that as the latter travel past, the material isscraped off into theappropriate receptacles. This type of discharging device has thedisadvantage, especially in the sintering'of zincores, that thegratelbars become clogged with aggregations of broken or powdered sinterwhich instead of being removed. by the scraper plate become jammed downbetween the bars and consolidated, interfering seriously with thedraughtof air. The primary object of the present invention is to providean improved form of machine in which this defect is eliminated.

According to the present invention in a rotaryore-roasting or sinteringmachine of the typereferred to the travelling grate is subdivided into apluralityof smaller separate grates or pallets each'provided'with itsown integrally constructed gas-oft'take or gas box, and eachunitcomprisingpallet and gas box is arranged to be independently tilted oroverturnedcfor the discharge of the product. y o With this constructionthere is no device such as the scraper plate above mentioned to jam thematerial between the grate bars, and such aggregations as may formnaturallybetween the bars .tendto be shaken loose and to drop-away whenthe pallet is overturned ior"tilted,'thus leaving the grate bars clear.The tilting'or overturning of thefindivid ual pallets may take placeabout eitherradial or tangential axes. Where it takes place about axesradial to the centre of the table, the pipes connecting the gas boxestov the central gas ofitake from the machine may be made in two partsoneof which is fixed to the gas box and pallet while the other communicates with the central gas oiftake, the oint between the two partsbeing provided with a suitable gland such that the outer part of thepipe may revolve freely'with its gas box without admission of air orloss of sinter gas; I I V Various forms of mechanism may be'em ployed tocarry out the tilting or overturning motion for instance each pallet andgas box may be provided with a rigidly mounted pinion centered on theaxis about which the pallet and gas box unit is to turn. This pinion isdisposed so as to engage a fixed rackap propriately placed near thepoint of discharge. The rack is preferably made in two parts-slightlyspaced so that after-thefirst part engaged'by the pinion has tilted'oroverturned the pallet there is an interval during whichthe palletremains in the tilted or reversed position until the pinion engages thesecond part of the rack which thereupon restores the'pallet to normalposition.

An arrangement of stops or other devices. maybe provided to cause thepallet to be jolted whilst in the tilted or reversed position, to assistin shaking loose'any of the more solid aggregations of material.

In an alternative form of construction in which the palletsare arrangedto tip about axes which are tangential to the round table a water sealconnection is made between the portionfof gas pipeconnected to the gasbox and that part communicating with the central gas ofltake. Thetipping mechanism may-comprise fixed cam surfaces which are engagediby apart of the pallet or a wheel carried thereby as the pallet approachesthe discharge point'where it is tipped outwardly,

other cam surfaces being provided to restore the pallet to normalposition.

In place of the cam surfaces, worm and pinion or other suitable gear maybe used.

Two forms of construction in accordance with the present invention areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figs. 1 and 1 arevertical longitudinal sections each of half of a complete machine inwhich the individual pallets and gas boxes are arranged tooverturn'about axes radial to the'centre ofthe machine. Figs. 1 and lplaced side by side show the complete machine. F a

"Fig.2 is a detail'viewin side'eleva'tion' at the discharge point.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic side elevation, at the discharge point showinga preferred'disposition of the overturning mechanism. Y Fig. 4 is anelevation of a separate pallet and gas box-arranged to overturnoutwardly about a tangentialaxis.

=Referr'ing'to Figs. 1, 1 2 and 3: The machine is constructedon theusualor any convenient framework, in'this case comprisinganumber ofuprights'A arranged in a' circle and surmounted'by a; series of, rollersB on. which ,a rotative platform C is supported by'means of'a circularrail (1 a centralfootstepbearing D beingprovided. E denotes av pluralityof separate grates or palletsarranged around the 'whole machine andprovided each with a separate gas box E having anoiftake pipe;F jointedby means of agas-tightf gland G toa further; section of pipeFcommunicating at its lower end with an'annular trunk]? rotatingwith-the'platform C. The rotating trunk F opens freely into afixedannular chamber 5H forming; the main gas oift-ake from the machine,aliquid seal I beingprovided between the trunk, F and chamber'Hjtoensure gas-tightness.

:Eachpall'et E with itsintegralzgas box IE is maderevolvable aboutfanaxis radial to thecentre of the' machine by: means of bearings J and Jin which turn respectively the pipe]? and a shaftwK c'arrying'apinion'Kdisposed so asto engage a fixed rack: L. on approaching the point ofdischarge-(see more particularly Figs. 2. and; 3). .The: pinion K beingrigid with the gas bo'xrE revolves the latter-together withthe pallet E,thereby discharging the roasted or. sintered material onto a chute; Mwhich=conductsiit from the machine. A

vOn completely overturningthe pallet and ,gasbox'a stop N (seeFig- 2)comes smartly into-contact with the 'girder supporting the bearings :Jand J and, by so doing:;-dislodges any .ore or sinter which may =havebecome wedged between the bars ofthe pallets On further travel thepinion K engages a second: rack L which revolves the. pallet andzgas boxback through 180 to'norinal position,- immediately xafter. which; thepallet passes under the feed chute O and receives a fresh charge of ore.A small gap'is preferably left between the end of the rack L and thebeginning of the rack L so that the pallet may remain reversed for amoment or TA seal S isprovided around both sides of'the pan Q to preventescape of dust.

-In the form of construction illustrated in Fig/ the pallet T and gasbox T are mounted-in trunnions U -one'of which carries a worm wheel Vmeshing with a worm V on a shaft- Wwhich'at "its outer "end'carries apinionX adapted to engage the racksLand L above referred to. Inthis'casethe pallet and gas boxare swungs'o'as to discharge outwards, thegas-ofi'take pipe ,-Y being lifted atsuchtime out of-a water seal-Zthrough which :said pipe Y :normally communicates withla pipe Y leadingto-the centralgas-ofitake from the machine.

-Various alternative means'for overturning the pallet outwardly in themanner last mentioned: will occur to persons skilled inthe' art. Suchmeans may for instancecomprise-suitable-cam surfaces arranged inthecircular path of travel at the discharge point. Although it has beenfound preferable to overturn the pallets completely soas to'derivethefull advantage from. theshock or jar consequent'upon .the pallet comingto rest in the reversed position, it'is not essential that thereversal-should be complete, and in some cases merely tilting thepallets through about 90 may prove sufficient.

The improvements constituting the'present invention entirelyobviate thedisadvantages appertaining to .methods of. scraping the sinter from thesurface of the grate and ensure substantially complete dislodgement ofany material which may have becomewcdged between thegrate bars, thusproviding for 'a free and even draught through the bed ofmaterialiundergoingtreatment.

:Althoughv he improved'machine has been described as applied-moreparticularly to'the roasting jor sintering of ores; said machine maybe'used for-any operationsto which it may be applicable and in which amaterial has to be continuously subjected to combustionwithwithdrawal ofevolved gases.

:What I claimis r A rotary ore-roastingoresintering-Inachine comprisinginicombination a circular travelling grate sub-divided into xa pluralityof separatezgrates or pallets, an integral gas box fort-each: grate,means for separately;=.over-

